Aerosol dispensers of various designs are prone to accidental actuation. This can be the result of the aerosol unit being pointed in the wrong direction and actuated or when mishandled prior to sale or after sale. It also can be caused with regard to personal care product aerosol dispensers where a packed travel bag is handled in a way which causes the aerosol to be actuated. This latter problem has been solved in the past through the use of a removable overcap which covers the upper dispensing part of the aerosol dispenser. However, if the removable overcap is dislodged there remains the problem of an accidental actuation.
Aerosol dispensers are comprised of a container holding the pressurized substance with a valve mechanism mounted on one end of the container. The valve mechanism has an upward extending valve stem. The valve mechanism usually is actuated by a vertical or horizontal movement of this valve stem. Mounted above the valve mechanism is a valve actuator and usually a cover for the valve actuator. The valve actuator can be comprised of the combined surface that is contacted by a person's finger and the unit that contacts and actuates the valve mechanism with a separate overcap; or it can be comprised of a combined overcap and the surface that is contacted by a persons finger with a separate unit that contacts and actuates the valve mechanism. This latter structure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,377 and in European Patent No. 1 309 500 B1. In each of these references, the cap and the finger actuator are combined into a single structure with the valve stem actuated by a separate mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. D449,978 discloses a perfume container that has an opening in the container into which a person's finger must be placed to dispense the perfume. The actuation surface is on a lower surface of the container opening and appears to be the top of the unit that actuated the valve mechanism. The opening into which to place one's finger is the same on the front and the rear surfaces. A related design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D486,387. Here, a dispenser holder has an opening into which a finger of a person is inserted to actuate a separate apparently replaceable dispenser. The actuation surface is on a lower surface. The opening is the same on the front and rear surfaces. A person's finger can be inserted from the front or rear of the dispensers. These are interesting disclosures but do not suggest the structure of the present dispenser.
The present aerosol dispenser structure precludes accidental actuation since the finger of a person must be inserted into an actuating aperture, which contains the actuating surface, in a particular orientation to actuate the dispenser to dispense the contained product. Further, it is a two piece structure. The valve actuator is comprised of the surface contacted by a person's finger and the unit that contacts the valve mechanism. This is combined with a separate structure that holds and mounts the valve actuator onto the aerosol container. There are advantages to this structure.